Leclerc speed mystery possibly solved by F1 analyst? 'Seems logical'

15:48, 07 Aug

Updated: 17:08, 07 Aug

byLuke-John Buckle

Charles Leclerc was blisteringly fast for a lot of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend as the Monegasque took pole position but lost speed in the last stint. Former Formula 1 driver Jolyon Palmer may have worked out why.

The Ferrari driver set the fastest time in Q3, just ahead of McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

Leclerc kept up the good form on race day as he pulled away from the front of the field, and he remained unchallenged for the first half of the race.

However, Leclerc didn't even finish on the podium as he crossed the finish line in fourth place after a drop in pace across the final stint.

Former driver turned F1 analyst, Palmer, shared his verdict on why he was significantly slower than before towards the end of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

He said on F1 TV:"No one would go higher than that [minimum tyre pressure] because you'd lose grip. But if you did go higher than that, you would also raise the ride height of the car by bulging out the tyre a little bit more, lifting the floor of the car off the ground."

Palmer can 'see the logic' in Ferrari having plank wear issues

"That would mean that you're legal. You're able to run the car at a higher ride height suddenly for the final stint of the race. But it'll make you really slow because you're just getting less grip from the tyre.

"I can see the logic here for Ferrari who have been in trouble with plank wear in the past, going really aggressive with it, finding out after qualifying, they're maybe too aggressive and having to really nurse this through the final stint of the race, maybe hoping it's difficult to overtake in Budapest. They'd cling on for what they've already had earlier on in the race. However, the pace was just too slow."

Plank wear has been a significant problem for Ferrari this season, as Hamilton got disqualified in China for excessive plank wear, while Leclerc got excluded from the result due to being underweight that weekend.

The floor is critical in the ground effect era to performance, as a lot of the downforce comes from underneath the car.

Despite the result, Ferrari is still second in the Constructors' Championship, 24 points ahead of Mercedes.